Europe 'Naive' About Terrorist Threat, Lacks Adequate Response

Recent attacks in Brussels revealed that Europe was not ready and unite enough to respond agression, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Europe's response to the terrorist threat has been superficial and inadequate, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said on Thursday.

"I believe we in Europe are too naive and superficial about terrorism threats and do not assess them correctly… We must openly say to ourselves that a brutal and unjustifiable war is being waged against all European people, and therefore the response must be adequate," Grybauskaite said in an interview with the LRT public broadcaster.

The president's comments come just days after at least 31 people were killed and some 300 injured in two bomb blasts in Brussels' Zaventem airport and an explosion at a metro station in the city center. The Islamic State jihadist group, outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United State, has claimed responsibility for the blasts.

European countries should declare a war on terror by increasing cooperation and the exchange of intelligence, as well as tackle the funding sources of terrorism that include organized crime and money laundering, the president added.

The Lithuanian authorities stepped up security in the country's airports following the deadly attacks in Belgium. Lithuania's Civil Aviation Authority is reportedly prepared to further tighten security if the country's terrorist threat level is raised.